The Winner Was, Uh, Wordy

Re "Something Wicked This Way Comes" (Oct. 31): I read with interest your selection of the scariest Halloween stories--until I checked the word length on the winning story "Ole Man Hook's House," by Michael Hook Mack.

A quick count revealed the story to be in excess of 1,200 words. That's at least 500 words more than the maximum word count stipulated in your contest guidelines.

How could you select a winning story that by your own contest rules should have been disqualified for being over the word limit?

What message does this send to the other 2,591 contest entries, especially those who conformed to your rules to the letter?